A South African woman has been sentenced to jail for kidnapping and trafficking her six-year-old daughter.
On Thursday, May 29, Racquel "Kelly" Smith along with her two accomplices – boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn – have been sentenced to life in prison.
This term came more than a year after Joshlin Smith mysteriously disappeared outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town.
Despite the continuous search for the girl, who vanished in February 2024, no signs of her have been reported.
Shocking claims by witnesses in the trial
The sentencing follows a six-week trial in South Africa, with witnesses and prosecutors making a number of shocking allegations.
Furthermore, the bomb was dropped by Lourentia Lombaard, a friend and neighbour of Racquel, who alleged that the 35-year-woman confided in her about doing "something silly."
Lombaard claimed that Racquel informed her that sold Joshlin to a traditional healer, known in South Africa as a "sangoma."
The "person who [allegedly took] Joshlin wanted her for her eyes and skin," Lombaard stated in the court.
Judge Nathan Erasmus said he "drew no distinction" between the three accused when handing out his judgement.
Addressing to the courtroom he noted, "On the human trafficking charge, you are sentenced to life imprisonment, On the kidnapping charge, you are sentenced to 10 years imprisonment."
The judge – in his hour long trial – also spoke about the devastating impact the incident had on the community of Middelpos, where the young girl lived.
Notably, the search for the six-year-old girl is set to continue, even outside South Africa.
